The Cause
by Artemisan
Summary: She'd been appealed brave and strong, but she was suffering inside. Not until he came to her life; she suddenly felt immortal.


No, I do not own Naruto Shippuden. Some characters involved are fictional, made my tiny mind.

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_**BAM!**__**  
**_  
The concreted wall behind shook lightly along with an audible sound coming from the red-head's fall from the strongly-impacted punch of a certain man, tall in stature, with his hair almost immovable with the tremendous amount of wax that helped it stand up like a rooster's mane. His fingers curled into a fist, veins carved visibly with his scrutinizing hazel optics never left the woman lying on the grassy ground.

His face was almost covered by the shadows of the building surrounding them, almost unrecognizable as well for the four back-ups who were nonchalantly chuckling as the man looked down the red head with an almost deadly glare.

"I told you to shut up, Uzumaki. Just many times do I have to tell you that you're useless, nobody needs yo-"

One moment, the brunette guy was standing and speaking in front of her.

Then one second, he was now lying with his back on the soft grass underneath, fingers clutching to his now bleeding nose.

It all happened in a fingersnap, the red-head lying helplessly on the ground earlier now standing up before the crouching figure below her vision. Her eyes were as fierce as a tiger when she gazed from the brunette to the pack behind.

A ray of light peeked over, revealing the bruised features of the red head. Though her bangs hid some of the upper face, obvious stains of crimson were wiped from beneath her lower lip. Her porcelain cheeks were drawn with scratches and little wounds, but her fierce gaze never left her eyes.

Her long, crimson tresses swayed along her as she took a step closer to the gang.

"Shut up."

"Why you-!"

A fist landed once more on the male's cheek, now more looked battered than the red-head's. It started to swell and made the group change their mind.

Uzumaki Kushina was real tough-tougher than they could imagine.

Her hair gracefully swayed as one punch landed on another, blood dripping out of every other guy's nose that came her way. Two of the group tried to stop her, but her legs turned and swung underneath, causing both of them to fall. Getting up, she landed another left jab at another man, though when she turned around, a fist landed directly to her right cheek.

Wiping the blood that dripped off her lips, a fiercer woman grew, raging, breaking her opponent's jaw with an uppercut. Might be dramatic, but Kushina was screaming that time.

Crawling with his back, the brunette retreated, cursing under her under his breath.

"I-We'll be back, you Uzumaki bitch-!"

"No, you won't be."

Startled gasps were heard from the group's side, though Kushina stayed still with fists at her side.

It was /him/ once again.

That flaky blond that appears like a mushroom everytime this happens. That well-fixed and groomed appearance of his that always make Kushina sick and throw up. His nosiness was always one thing that she had never learned to be grateful of. It wasn't admirable for him to meddle with her own business, at least for her.

She was growing tired of this, actually.

The four had escaped and is now nowhere in sight, making /him/ sigh in relief. He then offered her a white hankerchief, neatly folded as he pulled it out from his pocket. A smile carved on his lips as he handed it to her, though Kushina shrugged it off and ignored him, turning around so her back was facing him, but yet to hear his voice once more.

"Uzumaki-san, you need to come with me to the prefect's office to-"

"Shut it."

"But-"

"How many times do I have to tell you don't meddle with me?!"

"I'm not actually meddling, it's my duty to-"

"I told you to shut up, didn't I?!"

She was now facing him, an accusing finger pointing to the innocent blond. His eyes widen to the sudden action, arms raising up like he was going to be arrested for whatever reason.

"Calm down, Uzumaki-san-"

"SHUT UP!"

He drew a step nearer. He knew she wasn't going to calm down any moment of now. He knew how hard-headed Kushina was, she was notorious for it. Causing anymore argument will lead him to nothing.

"Look, I don't mean any harm-"

"Stay away from me, _Namikaze_."

"It's my duty as a prefect helper to keep discipline here-"

"I don't care! Stay away, okay?! I get your point, so shut up! I'll go to that prefect office myself! I don't need escort-I don't need anyone!"

With that she stormed off, getting off far away from him as far as she could.

While _Namikaze_ stood there, features scowling as he watched the red head ran away, hands curling into a fist.

"I just wanted to help you..."

It wasn't too long that rumors and gossips about Kushina's fight earlier spread around the campus. It was the freshest one, the big headline of the day. It pissed her off that everyone was looking at her patched bruises from the clinic with scrutinizing eyes. Don't they get tired of this? Don't they have their own things to do?

And there goes the photography club with their annoying cameras.

Kushina just grunted and walked over to the 'busy' and 'so much nosy' club, letting them go as please. Making these annoying guys fly to the ceiling would just add up to her offense.

Escaping from the prefect would surely cause her to be either suspended, or worst, to be expelled out of school. Though deep inside, her thoughts were arguing if this was good.

No school would mean she would have the perfect chance to be independent and free.

But on the other hand, she wouldn't let the dreams of her only family left.

"Mito-sama..."

She was so submerged in her thoughts that she didn't noticed she had passed the prefect's office a few blocks away from where she is now. Kushina sighed, flicking her long, crimson hair as she retraced her steps until her feet stopped abruptly in front of the old, woody door infrot of her.

In order to gather up courage, she breathed deeply, and tried to relaz herself. She always wondered why everytime she was infront of this door, her knees trembled, and her hands would never stop shaking even if it was turning the knob to open the door. She should be prone to it-though there was really something about this room that freak her out.

Maybe it's just the old, grumpy, white haired man that held such deadly glare at her-or at every student here in Konoha high school.

He was sitting there on his _throne_, (like Satan, Kushina always thought), digits furled together with his-as always-death glare ready to rip out her soul anytime.

"Good afternoon, Sakumo-sensei-"

"What's so good about the afternoon, Uzumaki Kushina?"

A gulp. She was obviously going to be 'beefed' in this one.

"U-Uh, ya see-it wasn't my fault-"

"As always it wasn't, ne?" A devious smirk. Oh my god. No good.

Better run-but where?!

"It's the third time this week, Miss Uzumaki. Care to explain?"

"...how could I explain when you're not even letting me finish, you old hag-" She _muttered_, though the white haired's ears were like transmitters, thus hearing _every_ word she said.

"Old hag, huh?" The man sighed sarcastically, leaning over to his chair a bit more, letting the furniture to creak out audibly. "Well then. As for your behavior, young lady, I have no choice but to sus-"

_No-!_

"No!"

A familiar voice echoed through the room, breaking the intensity between the two parties. Footsteps came afterwards, and his voice was just enough not for Kushina to turn around.

"I can explain for her, Hatake-sensei," Namikaze stood confidently before the glorious prefect, making Kushina grit her teeth in annoyance. _How could he do it?!_

"Uzumaki-san was attacked-she didn't start the fist fight off. I believe it was all self-defense..." His head turned to the grunting red head, which surprised her, making her deliberately nod before Sakumo_. The fuck, Kushina?! Don't be an idiot!__  
_  
"Yeah right! It was all self -defense, Sakumo-sensei-"

"Tell me more, Namikaze."

"Yes. Actually, I have appointed a meeting with them to you after class. They should head here at once," he said politely, the young Uzumaki's eyes widening in surprise.

_How can he do that?!_

"Well, if they don't?"

"I had warned them about sanctions. They will be sanctioned according prior to the student's handbook's rules and regulations."

"Oh. Good, as always, Namikaze. No wonder you're the student council president," there was a satisfied smile carved the Hatake's lips. His attention now turned back to the fiddling red head, whose nervousness obviously reigned over her feminine body.

"And? What about Uzumaki here? What do you think, Namikaze?"

His gaze turned back to her, as if examining the whole part of her. It made Kushina's porcelain cheeks flush, hands covering her upper body part. (As if he was going to do anything.) It made the blond chuckle, and then turned back to Hatake Sakumo once more.

"In my opinion, you should confine Uzumaki-san to community service. Etou, how about being a librarian for a week, or maybe tutor little kids from the Academy during Saturday mornings."

"No, no, no! Not Saturday mornings!"

"And why not?" Interrupted Sakumo, who seemed to be genuinely curious on the reason why.

"I-It's because-!"

"'BBC One's Sherlock' comes late during Friday night and you have troubles waking up early the next day? Am I right?"

Her face flushed in both embarrassment and horror. "Screw you! How did you know that you basta-!"

"Enough."

The deep tone made the Uzumaki stop hitting the blond, and she knew with that pose of his, a bright, yet deadly smile carving the prefect's lips, that he had made up his decision.

_No not Saturday please..._

"Uzumaki Kushina, for grave misconduct and damage of school property, you will be in community service for now. One week librarian,"

_Oh thank God._

"And a whole month with morning Saturdays with the kids at the Academy."

_Oh hell no._

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**AN:/ **First story written by yours truly, Artemisan. If you see any grammatical and spelling errors in the story, please do forgive, I wrote the story while travelling to bust boredom and drowsiness. Critics are welcome though please spare hateful and dreaded wordings, be professional. Thank you.

Please **read and review** too.


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